The monster
by la-perla's mermaid
Summary: A mad scientist kidnapped Judy in order to perform a horrible experiment on her. A dark horror story told from the villain's perspective


The Monster

Author's note: I was watching the movie Viktor Frankenstein last week and I thought it was refreshing on how they focused on the creators rather than the monster itself, I also couldn't help noticing how the character of the mad scientist is usually portrayed in a flat way in pop culture, they are mostly used as mere plot devices to move the story forward. So I came up with the idea of making this mad science story from the villain's POV, it's intended as a strange oneshot

Disclaimer: I own nothing don't sue.

Am I a monster for what I'm about to do? Maybe… Probably. But the line between monsters and saviors gets blurred when it comes to science, what I am about to do is clearly unethical yet I am sure its future implications will bring much good to mammalkind. I do feel grief at the thought of how ethics have stalled science progress, isn't the pain of a few not worth the salvation of all of us? How many lives would be saved if we could accept that sometimes the end does justify its means.

The scientific community claims that my work with stem cells is promising but it would take years, even decades for it to be approved for tests in mammals, so I will take the issue on my own paws. There is in fact a rich benefactor willing to fund my experiment in order for me to show him what my research can do, when everything is done he will have access to the most powerful technology in regards of transplant and implants, while that might not give him the immortality he craves I am sure It can extend his own lifespan by several more years.

I have prepared everything now, rows and rows of medical supplies crowd the operation room. The implants have been made using the recipient's own genes and created via 3D printing, now all I need is my test subject. My bushy tail wags in excitement for I feel like a kit on Christmas evening.

A large tiger enters my underground lab, he carries a small bunny in his arms and she's unconscious but clearly unharmed. His boss is my patron, he was instructed to kidnap the doe and leave no evidence behind for I need to work in a quiet setting if I want to have proper results, which might be difficult if the police barges in before the transformation process is finished.

-"The boss wants to know why you are choosing this particular bunny. She's Zootopia's hero cop why couldn't we pick someone with a lower profile? You know, someone who wouldn't be missed."- The tiger asks worried, he is right her disappearance will probably trigger a mammal hunt and add a lot of risks to this operation.

-"It's for personal reasons"- I tell him coldly. It is the truth, I do have a score to settle with her and I figured that since I am going to do something unethical I might also seek justice. No it's not revenge, revenge would be having her killed, what I want to do is transform her into something more, something better. I am aware that at least at first she won't see that way, Judith might never understand that I will in fact improve her life so she will hate me for what I'll do.

I guess that's the curse of being a genius, you see things other mammals don't; you notice the potential in things others dismiss. And when you tell them a wonderful creation is right below their noses nobody will believe you until your work is done, only then with the end result right in front of them they will see what you have been planning from the beginning, only then they will stop mocking you and bask in the wonderful creation.

Geniuses are laughed at and dismissed by lesser minds because they don't have the imagination to notice how much you can accomplish with so little, but when my creation is done all the naysayers will be proven wrong and all the supporters with cold feet will have no choice than to push my investigation forward. My current benefactor belongs to the criminal underworld, if my claims are right and I succeed he will keep me safe from the authorities and pay me well but if I fail he will kill me. It might seem like a dangerous gamble to others, but not for me for I know this will work out.

The bunny, Judith Hopps, is placed on the surgical table. The OR has been properly sterilized and all my tools and tissue implants have been carefully laid out so I don't waste much time during the procedure, it is for a safety measure since this surgery will be difficult, long and drastic. I don't want to waste more time than absolutely necessary so the anesthesia doesn't wear out, because if it did the chances for the subject to die during surgery would triple.

If I were vengeful I would diminish the anesthetic's dose, but I will actually spare her as much pain as possible, as I said this isn't about revenge only justice. Still that doesn't mean she won't suffer from this transformation because the initial procedures alone will be a hard blow to her system.

After a thorough disinfecting of her fur I grab my surgical saw and begin the hard process of separating several parts from her body, starting by the long ears. There is a lot of blood of course but that was expected, it's a good thing I prepared several blood bags for the transfusion.

Ten hours later I am beyond exhausted but pleased at my work, Judith now looks like a messy jigsaw puzzle a dumb toddler tried to solve but failed miserably. When I was younger I liked to paint, whenever someone stared at the canvas they would say that it looked awful as they only saw blotches of random color scattered on the white surface, but those blotches were the foundation for what would later be a masterpiece. Judith is no exception, her seemingly torn figure is nothing but the foundation of what will later be a pure expression of beauty, layer after layer will be implanted and only after the final result is revealed everyone will understand how wonderful my vision is.

I keep her in a pharmacological coma for two weeks, I need the implants to settle into her preexistent body parts, if they were mechanical it might be easier but since they are biological live flesh it is a testament of my intellect the fact that they weren't rejected by her immune system, but merely integrated into her own.

In my quiet lab the only sounds are her breathing and the beeps of the monitors but I am aware that on the outside, above my secret lair, the police force is on a frantic search for the beloved officer Hopps. The media has gone on and on about the whole thing and there is a gigantic reward for anyone that can give a clue of her whereabouts. None of that fazes me for I know I won't be caught, I might not be a detective but I know that police investigations focus on those who might have a motive to hurt the victim, Hopps has a list of enemies so large it would take ages to go through them one by one. While I do have a grievance against her I never talked to anyone about it, I never gave her empty threats or made my issue public, no one knows of what she has done to me, probably not even herself. So when the cops investigate for possible suspects I know I won't be in that list. For almost a year I have merely stewed in my resentment not speaking to others about my plan, now it is time for me to reap my reward.

Judith is actually quite lucky it was I the one who caught her; any other of her enemies would have torn her in shreds while I am in fact turning her into a new creature, a beautiful masterpiece which will prove everyone of my geniality.

...

I have to wake her up now, this is the hardest part because I need her to cooperate, that is not gonna be easy considering what I have done to her.

I made the wise decision of removing every refractory surface from her cell, if she saw herself she might die of horror. The first two days she cried while her new mouth could only gurgle in despair, the third she screamed at me when I removed the bandages from her face, by the first week I had to tie her up so she wouldn't hurt herself when getting out of bed. At night she mumbles when she dreams, in her delirium I hear her calling her family and friends, the name Nick is often mentioned.

I am torn between the schadenfreude of seeing her in both physical and emotional pain and the worry that her distress might have a negative effect on the healing process. Soon I tire of her cries and pity then begins to crowd my thoughts, I have given her pain meds but it's not like I can keep her sedated for so long those medications are addictive.

It takes another two weeks before I can remove the tubes and wires from her petite form and I can place her in her cell, the rest of the recovery needs for her to move around, this is crucial for the implants I placed in her calves and her four paws. By then I am keeping the pain medication at its minimum and she is lucid, now that she can understand me I explain what I have done to her and what I will do in the future, I describe every single procedure as accurately as possible because she deserves to know what will happen to her. At first Judith cries and begs for me to let her go, but with my attentive care she becomes stronger and with that strength comes her defiance.

-"You will not get away with this Dr Schlaufuchs, the entire ZPD is looking for me right now. You will be taken to prison and you'll pay for what you have done"- I'm pleased at how articulate she has become, learning to talk with a new muzzle can be difficult but her progress is amazing.

-"Officer Hopps you have been missing for two months, if you were a cop working for your own missing case, what you would think has happened?"-

Judith deflates at my comment, no longer standing defiantly from the bulletproof glass of her cell, she falls to her knees and hugs her own torso. –"I would think I'm already dead, after the first 48 hours the chance to find a missing mammal alive decreases, they would still look for me but they would search places were the suspects would dump a body"-

-"It is for the best Judith, do you actually want your friends and family to see you like this?"- In the first stage of her transformation she actually looks hideous, I have given her strength, seven more inches in height and many other assets but beauty will not come until the third and final stage.

Her purple eyes shine with fury and her modified paw slams against the glass panel –"You have deformed me but I am not the monster here, you are! I would gladly parade this awful face of mine to all Zootopia if that means I get to see you in prison"-

-"I am glad that you are not vane Officer Hopps, it means my gift to you is well deserved"-

-"Deserved? What have I done to deserve this?!"- She screams pointing at her maimed figure with her paws, I need to work on the fine movement of her fingers they still lack mobility.

A surge of pain and rage invade me when I remember why it is her the one locked in that cell, I am almost tempted to show a mirror in front of her so the shock of seeing her face breaks her soul, sure she knows what I have done to her but if she actually saw it… sigh, no I am not that cruel.

-"Believe me when I say that you deserve to be in here, if anything you should be grateful of my kindness considering what you have done"- My voice is so cold and hateful she trembles in fear, I walk closer to her and my long snout rests on the bulletproof glass wall that separates her cell from my lab –"I will tell you when the time is right, for now do as I say or I will stop being fair to you and then you will know how bad this process can be"-

-"And then what? What will you do to me after your surgeries are done?"- Her voice is grave and steady; she fears the answer but is brave enough to ask.

-"I will train you on how to live in your new form, it will take over a year for the nerve implants to give proper signals to your brain and there are several things you need to know about your new physiology, only when you are a perfectly functional new being you will be released"- I growl and turn on my heels to leave, not paying attention to the curses she shouts my way.

I go outside hoping to clear my head; I need to buy groceries anyway. That bunny might be small but she eats like a horse, I am partly to blame for that, between the new muscles I implanted and the treatments I gave her to increase the healing process her already fast metabolism has trice its normal speed.

Entering the small family store close to my lab I see Officers Delgato and Grizzoli in the line for the cashier, they smile friendly at my direction –"Hello Doc, long time no see"- Grizzoli says cheerful

-"It is nice seeing you too officers"- I say genuinely pleased to see them even when their kind faces bring horrible memories to my soul –"You know, after all that happened I never had the chance to say thank you."-

-"It's alright Doctor, we were just doing our jobs"- Delgato tells me shrugging, he knows I'm fighting the tears not to fall from my eyes.

-"You did more than that, you brought my daughter's murderers to justice"- I say gratefully as I wipe the stray tear now falling from my cheek.

While waiting in line the small TV hanging above the store counter flashes calling my attention, the reporter says there is a big development concerning Hopps' disappearance.

The chief of the ZPD stands on a podium, his deep voice reflects sympathy –"We have created a special task force with the sole mission of finding Officer Hopps, it will be lead by her partner and use the aid of a large team of civilians. For further details I shall leave Officer Nicholas Wilde to describe it right now."- The water buffalo steps down and a red fox takes his place.

-"The special force will consist basically in handling data, the idea is to analyze patterns from several sources and cross referencing them with a list of possible suspects. It is impossible to commit a crime and leave no evidence behind, but as you all know there haven't been many leads concerning this particular case, the idea is to broaden the net until both the culprit and Hopps is found"- His words seem cold and civil but his behavior speaks volumes, as a fellow vulpine I can tell the agitation in his twitching tail, his fur standing up and the perpetual snarl on his muzzle that never hides his teeth. What his body language is saying is that he will tear apart whoever is responsible for his partner's disappearance and for the first time since I began my project I fear its consequences in the eyes of the law.

-"He seems very motivated"- I say raising my eyebrows, somehow managing to stay calm.

Delgato snorts –"Obsessed is more like it, we had to stop the search last week because we couldn't keep pouring so many resources in only one crime, but Wilde wouldn't have it, so he came up with the idea of this task force. I tell ya doc, that fox will search through every millimeter of this city until he finds her, I feel sorry for the idiot that stands in his way."-

I know better than anyone how relentless a vulpine can be, when our kind sets up a goal we will achieve it or die trying. It is strange that a predator would go through so much trouble for a mere bunny, sure I heard of how good of a team they were since they had become minor celebrities after they cracked the conspiracy, but I was certain their friendship was just a publicity stunt. Then I remember how many times Judith called his name in her sleep, I mentally kick myself for not seeing this coming.

-"I didn't know they were that close"- I utter frustrated.

Grizzoli shakes his head –"Whatever they had was deep, there are rumors about both of them being lovers while others were sure they were practically family, if you asked them they always said they were just friends."- The bear shrugs –"Not that it matters anymore"- the way his shoulders droop implies that he's sure the bunny has been killed, that's good, because that's what the cops are supposed to think. Too bad Officer Wilde doesn't seem to agree with them.

I come back home and leave the large bag of groceries on the kitchen table, I should be right back at the lab but the nervousness I managed to suppress back at the store is finally reaching me. I'm sure I had been careful but I expected the search for Judith to be over by now, not to get wider and more intense. I debate on rushing the next stages but discard the idea a minute later, rushing only leads to botched attempts and my vision deserves to be lead to perfection otherwise it's not worth it.

I walk to my daughter's room, it has been kept frozen in time ever since she died, and nothing has been moved out of place for over a year. If I close my eyes I can pretend she never left, that she is still there typing on her cellphone or doing the myriad little art and crafts projects she loved so much, like me and her father she always had an artistic streak.

Her latest hobby was crafting amigurumis, basically making stuffed mammals through knitting. It was funny actually since she didn't sleep with plushies or anything like that, not even when she was little, so her lovely toys usually ended up stuck in her closet. It was part of her nature I guess, she loved to create even when she didn't know what to do with her creations, she once made a guitar from discarded wood but never even bothered to learn how to play it. I remember she wanted to sell or donate them to charity but I talked her out of it, I had seen how much care she devoted into those stuffed mammals and didn't want those fuzzy things to end up tossed away by a clumsy kit who wouldn't appreciate the effort it took her to make them.

I told her that one day, she would find a nice tod to settle with and then she would have kits of her own, and they would be very lucky to have such beautiful toys to play with. That of course never happened, my daughter Nelly died at nineteen years old, as far as I know she never even went on a date.

An hour later I come down to the lab holding a large box, Judith is in her cell doing pushups and squats; she probably wants to be strong enough to escape from here.

I give her the plate holding her dinner, she sniffs at it and her face twists in disgust.

-"Crab cakes? I can't eat these; you know I'm a vegetarian!"-

-"Not anymore my dear. You know, most civilized mammals are actually omnivore, when we evolved past the stone ages it was necessary for all of us to eat whatever it was available in order to thrive. But with the added muscle mass I gave you and your new body parts, protein is a necessity for you now, if you don't eat meat you'll get anemic and weak."-

-"You turned me into a carnivore?"- She says horrified

I nod –"An omnivore actually, you still need a lot of greens to stay healthy. Now finish your diner young lady, or you won't get your dessert"- I give her a sly smile as I take a large carrot cake from my box, I need her to comply and cruelty is not always the answer. I can see her nose twitch and her mouth water at the sight of the pastry; she finishes the crab cakes pretty fast, too proud to admit she actually liked them.

When she's done eating I pull mi last gift from the box, a knitted stuffed blue bear with purple pads and ears, carefully I slide it through the hatch in the glass of her cell then lock it with the security code.

-"My daughter made it with her own paws, I thought you would like it"-

With trembling paws she takes the toy and holds it, after a brief inspection she hugs it close to her body, deformed or not she still looks cute when she does it. My instincts were right, having a cuddly object for her to latch into could help her cope through this whole process, if she is too broken to be functional by the end of the transformation all of this will be for naught.

-"It's beautiful" she says softly –"Your daughter is very skilled, what's her name?"-

-"Her name was Nelly, she was killed a year ago. She was working at a seven eleven in Savannah square when a couple of wolves came in and robbed the store, they shot everyone inside"- My mouth feels like in autopilot as I utter that awful sentence.

-"I remember that case, Grizzoli and Delgato caught the murderers two hours later. I am sorry to hear that, she must have been a nice mammal"- That blue bear did wonders, her whole posture is much more relaxed.

-"Nelly was the kindest and sweetest vixen that ever walked this earth, she never got herself in trouble and always followed the rules, but none of that mattered in the end"- I sigh as my ears fold behind my head –"All she did was work extra hours to help us get through this rough patch we were in. Her father, my husband, died of pneumonia when she was six and ever since then it was just us against the world. Nelly shouldn't have been there, but she was and those thugs shot her like her life was worthless"- I grow agitated as the horrible memories flood my brain, her funeral had been so simple, I didn't have much money for a fancy one. It wasn't until many months later that I could afford to put a marble gravestone on her final resting place.

-"What happened to her is a tragedy, and I'm sorry that your daughter died, you are right that shouldn't have ever happened. But you should ask yourself: What would she think about this? About what you're doing right now"- There is true sympathy in her words, but that doesn't dim my rage.

A dry chuckle reaches my muzzle, I lift my head to give my captive a sadistic stare –"She would hate me, and wouldn't think twice about getting you out and calling the police. But that's the thing she can't do anything about it now, she's dead. Nelly isn't here to see what I have become, what I will make YOU become."- I see her flinch at my words and hold the stuffed bear ever tighter, as every other night I lay in the cot close to her cell. Before I fall asleep I tell her –"Sleep well and gather your strength, the second phase will start tomorrow."-

...

The second phase is not as traumatizing as the first one, I use a laparoscopic technique this time.

For the transformation to be complete she needs to become an organism able to survive on its own, without the assistance of external chemicals or hormones, if it weren't' for my training in genetics and endocrinology my creation would depend of special medications to keep her looks. All I implanted on her needs several internal chemicals to work properly, from the shine of the fur and the strength of the muscles to the elasticity of the tissues, all of that needs a perfectly balanced hormonal system to be kept in top condition. On the first stage I modified her external appearance; on the second stage I modify her entire organism.

This is the stage when I also improve her eyesight, it's a good thing I have a needle large enough to pierce the eyeball and reach the retina, if I had to cut her eyes open the chance of infection or tearing would be too much to be worth trying this particular project. While I'm at it I move forward with the cosmetic changes in her eyes, that way she will only have to suffer pain in that area once. Her eyes are huge, something common in bunnies, I make a few nips and tucks to make them look more cat like and defined.

She sleeps for a full day after the surgery, and so do I, this whole thing is staring to wear me down as well. But it's like a fever dream that will haunt me, there is this internal drive that keeps pushing me forward while ignoring everything else. I realize I have been obsessed for a long time now and can't even bother to look for a way out of this, my end goal is closer every day yet I never even bothered to ask myself if this is something I should actually be doing. Then I scoff at my own wondering thoughts. There is a butchered police officer trapped in a cell deep within my evil lair, the line of insanity has been crossed a long time ago, there is no point in holding back at this stage. Not that any other aspect of my life matters now, after all I have nothing left to lose.

...

-"How do you feel?"- I ask from her bedside when she stirs

-"Like a psychotic vixen just scrambled my insides, plus I'm blind"- She answers dryly, noticing her cracked lips I place a vitamin filled drink next to her muzzle. Her tongue reaches the straw and she gulps the liquid, eager to remove the numbness on her mouth.

-"You're not blind, I have actually improved you eyesight."- I scold her as I place the stuffed bear by her right arm, I see her relax and snuggle next to the toy. In spite of her pain she manages to turn to the side and curl into a fetal position, her back towards me, I increase the dose of the pain killers just in case.

I know that when my paw rests on her shoulder that doesn't bring her any comfort, just dread, but sometimes I think she begins to open up to me. We have spent most of our time together since she came here and I have faith that she will understand my vision when the whole process is over. I always believed everything is possible as long as you have two things: patience and time, those I have plenty.

-"The recovery for this procedure won't be long; you'll be out of bed in a few days"-

-"Why me?"- Judith asks in a tiny voice, sounds like she were too afraid to speak.

I no longer feel rage at the recollection of the last year, when I swore I would bring justice towards the bunny.

-"After your press conference life went from bad to intolerable for predators, riots erupted on the streets and mammals turned against each other. All the prejudice against us burst out from one day to another, decades of progress in the prey-predator relationship just vanished. Suddenly it became okay for employers to fire predators because of their species, groups of prey targeted us and got away with it, bus and cab drivers refused to let us travel."-

I see her flinch and tremble as she hears my story; the bandages around her eyes turn soggy.

-"I used to work for a high security lab that was working on stem cell research, on the middle of the whole conspiracy my boss kicked me out along with all the other predators that were in charge of classified projects, we were seen as unreliable all of the sudden. My daughter was supposed to enter Shrewlliard to become a painter that year, but her application was denied even when she got a really high score on her SATs and a perfect grade in high school, she had been accepted the month prior but then they refused her after the predators went savage.

The only job I could find was as an assistant in a drugstore in Foxtown, which paid only a quarter of my previous one. Nelly never complained when her dreams were crushed, she only stood by my side and was determined not to let this break her, she found work in that seven eleven to help me pay the bills. You know she never saw being a clerk as degrading, even when the hours were lousy, the pay was awful and her boss was a prick. To her that was an honest job and she never saw shame in it, but I knew it was beneath her, I knew she didn't belong in that place. And I will never forget that it was YOU the one that put her in there"-

I hear Judith cry softly by my side

"Don't worry momma, this is just a bad patch we'll get through this" I remember hearing Nelly say, she stayed strong and optimistic to the last of her days. She would have been a great painter, she could have inspired a whole generation with her art, but instead she was murdered by a fucking wolf.

-"The ewe that caused the Nighthowler conspiracy is in jail, so are the wolves that killed my daughter, but the bunny that ruined her life were hailed as a hero. That's not fair, that's not justice. Did you even care about the thousands of lives you ruined? Most of the jobs the predators lost were never given back, rights that took years of struggle to achieve were removed and we still haven't managed to reclaim them, just because you ended the conspiracy it doesn't mean that the hurt you caused was cured all of the sudden"- I growl and remove my hand from her before my claws rip into her skin.

A few wretched sobs and hiccups later she tells me. -"What I did was horrible, I was ignorant and close minded and couldn't keep my bigoted mouth shut. I ruined the lives of many innocent predators and now I see not everything turned back to normal when the conspiracy ended. But my wrong doesn't mean you're right, you are still a monster for what you're doing."-

-"I never doubted that Judith, I always knew what I'm doing is wrong. But good mammals are hurt all the time, killed all the time, why should we be any different?"- She flinches when my paw caresses her new ears, the nerves are working fine that's good. –"But from your suffering and my evil actions a lot of good can be accomplished, you will see when the transformation is over."-

...

I was right about the recovery, by the next week she was perfectly fine, so much in fact that she almost manages to escape. I came back from the store and found her about to break the filter from the air vent of her cell, it wasn't fun to wrestle her out of it, her now longer legs kicked me into a wall while her new strength and sharp claws managed to hurt me pretty bad. If it wasn't for the tranq gun I kept close to me she would have won. For this outburst I blame the extra adrenaline now cursing through her veins, she's not a meek little bunny anymore, though I suspect she probably never was one to begin with. As beat up as I am, I can't deny the pride I feel at the ferocious strength she has demonstrated in our fight, I have made her much more powerful than she could ever dream of.

Judith lies slumped on the floor of my lab, thank god she's unharmed. I see the deep claw marks around the vent and I realize the transformation is probably complete by now, maybe I should just start with the third phase while she's unconscious, I would have to keep her asleep to reinforce the vent anyway.

...

Now the third phase is the safest and simplest one, but also the trickiest. Up until now my job depended on careful planning and strict protocols, but this stage requires an artistic flair. Beauty can't be achieved through hard cold calculations and pure perfect lines; it needs a balance between contrast and harmony. If I am too sloppy the work will look botchy but if I am too much of a perfectionist it will look unnatural.

I implant fur over the added areas of her body, it is a delicate art to mingle the silky new one of my creation with her original fluffy coat, and her tail alone has drained a huge chunk of my time. Her face was a delicate painstaking process but in the end I am beyond pleased with the result.

While she recovers from the final stage I put a large iron net cage over the vent and there are new reinforcements in the hatch I use to provide her food. I have to keep her tied up this time because there won't be much need for anesthesia; the last procedure was fairly benign and now all she needs after she wakes up is a lotion with topical ibuprofen.

...

The swelling is gone three days later, and my surgical work is finally done. I send a picture of my captive to my employer, shortly after my phone rings with an ID blocked number and a clearly distorted voice tells me from the other end: –"You have successfully implanted not one but several artificial parts on a mammal and then made them look like they always belonged there, that is brilliant doctor. I expect you to send me all the data from your research so my own scientists can duplicate them on their own, right now there is a nice bonus on your bank account"-

After hanging up I check my account and find ten million dollars in it, that's good! I was thinking I should move with Judith to a faraway place now that she's recovered, there are many things I need to work on her and I can't do that if I'm hiding from the police. Walking towards the cell I find her stretching her muscles after her exercise session.

For the first time since she got here I can put a mirror in front of her so she can see the extent of my creation. Her eyes widen in disbelief, she turns around to see her whole body on the silver reflection.

-"You turned me into a vixen"- She says numb

I nod proudly, in front of me there is no longer a bunny but a slender beautiful vixen with gray fur and a long silky tail, the pattern I chose for her coat is called platinum and it's pretty rare on vulpines. I added some muscle mass on her upper torso to keep her consistent with her new species but she still looks very feminine, especially since I did keep the shapely figure of her hips.

-"What you did to me is sick Dr Schlaufuchs, but I have to admit you did it well, I look like an actual vixen and not like a tortured and modified bunny. Are you happy now?"- Judith tells me crossing her arms around her chest and stomping her feet.

-"I am very pleased at the results"- I smile at her

-"Why did you choose to make me one of your own? I you hated me so much you could have turned me into a creepy monster or something"- Her purple eyes throw daggers at me while she inspects her fangs on the mirror.

-"We have both agreed that the only monster in this room is me Judith. I guess that I wanted you to know how it feels to be a predator, how it's like to be distrusted and maligned only for the way you look, I want you to feel the same hate you caused on all of us. Besides, because of your actions a beautiful vixen was taken from this world, I thought it was only fair if I used you to give it another one back"- I sigh, now that my creation is almost complete the tiredness has begun to settle on my old bones, all the sleepless nights and crazy work schedule has caught up with me – "you know what? I think this calls for a celebration, I'll go to the store and buy you that carrot cake you love so much"-

Judith rolls her eyes and turns her back on me, as I climb the ladder that connects the lab to my house I hear her calling and can't help to chuckle –"Extra rhubarb and chocolate chips please!"-

When I come out from the store I crash into a red fox in a ZPD uniform, looking up I gasp at the threatening visage of Officer Wilde – "Oh I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't mean to scare you. Let me help you with that"-

-"That's okay I don't need any help"- I stutter trying to get away from him but he snatches the bags out of my arms anyway.

-"Nonsense I'm glad I can help. My, these are big bags you're carrying right now, are you inviting friends over or something?"- His demeanor exudes charm but I can recognize the aggressive snarl on his face. He is up to something I can feel it.

-"There is a celebration of sorts"- I reply nonchalant with a supreme effort not to lose my cool.

-"That's good to hear, may I ask what's the special occasion?"- His piercing green eyes are dissecting my every move, is like he's trying to analyze me.

-"I finished a very long project of mine. Look Officer Wilde I appreciate your help but I would rather if you let me have my bags and head on my way"- I say as politely as possible while fighting the panic that's begun to overwhelm me.

-"Oh I could never leave a poor vixen carry so much weight on her own, my scouts honor would be tarnished. I'm so very sorry I hadn't introduced myself earlier but I see you know who I am already"- His voice is as sleek as silk, and now I know he's on to me by the cynical smile on his lips.

-"I saw you on TV, you headed a program searching for officer Hopps, how is that going by the way?"- If he suspects something I need to know how much has he found out.

-"We have researched three thousand and fifty five leads up until now and all of those led to dead ends, but I'm not giving up, ever. I could never abandon my partner because I know she would have never given up on me if I was the one gone missing. In fact now that you mention it I got a pretty interesting tip just an hour ago, someone made a HUGE money transaction from a Pawhamas secret account into another one located in Zootopia, I checked the recipient's records and lo and behold! Her credit card has done some pretty strange purchases. According to her personal information she is a lonely vixen, both her husband and child are dead, yet she buys enough food for a small army that really likes veggies and carrot cake. I have to ask Dr Schlaufuchs, what kind of vixen buys carrot cakes?"- The suave façade is gone, he is looking at me with an angry and accusatory glance.

We are almost reaching my house now, all I want is to reach my door and get inside the safety of my lab –"I don't like being accused of such a horrible crime with a ludicrous shopping list as your only evidence, if anything you are the one that seems to have violated my privacy. Now officer, unless you have a warrant I will ask you to leave my property"-

-"FYI my task force is made mostly by civilians who have a sketchy relationship with the law, we aren't known for following protocol. One way or another I will get to the bottom of this, until then have a nice day ma'am"- He gives me a casual salute and strolls away whistling.

I get inside and lock the door as fast as I can; I need to get myself and Judith out of here. I cannot let her be found just yet, she needs to adapt into her new species before I let her into the world. Dropping the groceries on the floor I rush to my lab but when I come down to my basement I find the tiger employed by my benefactor, he is staring at my creation in awe while she looks at him defiantly.

-"Hello mister, what are you doing in here. Your boss never told me you would come"- I tell him worried, this doesn't look good I was told I would be left alone after everything is over. I did send him several of my notes but the most crucial information on how to attach the implants and organs remains only in my head, could he had found out I didn't give him all the information he needs in such little time? Reading those notes should take several days!

-"I am instructed to retrieve ALL the data you have and then kill you. The boss says we can't leave any loose ends. Maybe if you have actually chosen another bunny, one that doesn't have a crazy fox tearing the city apart, we could have left you alone."- His voice is as cold as his yellow eyes.

-"So you'll deliver Judith to the police?"- My mind is furiously thinking of a way out of this

He shakes his head –"The vixen-bunny knows too much, the boss wants her so instead of killing her she comes with me, but I'll make it look like you killed her to do your flawed experiments. When the crazy fox gets someone to put the blame into the case will be over and they will stop looking for her"- his gun is aiming at my head.

-"Your jig is up Doctor"- Judith first snarls at me then turns to look at the feline –"I'll go with you as long as you get me out of this cage, all I want is to get the fudge out of here. I don't know who your boss is but he can't be worse than her. Actually I'll be very happy to help you kill that psycho if you let me"-

I look at Judith's eyes and somehow I can guess what she's thinking, if the boss takes her away from the city she will never return home, there is a hint of hope in her eyes and then I nod. I rather that she escapes both me and the tiger than having my work given to someone else and my legacy destroyed, while the henchmammal points a large gun at me, I open the cell setting my creation free but instead of coming with him she lounges at his torso while I wrestle the gun from his paw.

I hear the loud bang of a shotgun and a cold dull ache in my midsection, sticky warm blood pours from the gaping hole in my stomach, I still don't know why I didn't collapse right away. The tiger is too busy fighting a vixen-bunny with great experience in combat, the gun that shot me is still in the large animal's claws but he won't use it on her, after all his boss was clear he wanted her alive.

Her sharp claws leave deep gaping wounds on the feline, but he is still much bigger and stronger than her. I drag myself out of the underground lab and tainting the floor red I try to go outside and ask for help, as soon as I leave the basement I find Officer Wilde, he did warn me that he couldn't care less for warrants so he probably just barged inside hoping to find his partner and I am so glad for it.

At first he tries to stem the rapid blood flow sprouting from my stomach but I know it's too late for that, with the last of my strength I warn him –"Hopps is downstairs, a big tiger is fighting with her. I changed the way she looks you'll have trouble recognizing her at first"- He throws an angry stare at me, the last thing I see before my vision blurs is the red fox taking a tranq gun from his holster and placing a large dart inside of it.

I hear him going downstairs, he yells –"Freeze! ZPD!"- And suddenly the tiger roars no more.

-"Nick?! Is that you? I can't believe you found me!"- Judith's voice is nothing but unbidden joy.

I can hear and understand the shock, relief and disbelief coming from the tod's voice as he only says –"Carrots?"-

The last thing I manage to say before I die, to nobody in particular because I know no one is there to hear me, is the word "Sorry".


End file.
